The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: When You Wish Upon A Star

The song of the day for Sunday, July 4, 2021, is “When You Wish Upon A Star.”

About This Song

“When You Wish Upon a Star” was written by Leigh Harline, with lyrics by Ned Washington, for the 1940 Walt Disney adaption of Pinocchio. It was sung by Cliff Edwards as Jiminy Cricket. “When You Wish Upon A Star” won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, and was the first Disney song to win this award. The American Film Institute rated it seventh in its 100 Greatest Songs in Film History. The song has also been recognized by the Library of Congress, which preserved the song in the National Recording Registry in 2009.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “When You Wish Upon A Star” in 1998 for his album for children, The Playground with the Ralph Sharon Quartet, featuring Sharon on piano, Paul Langosch on bass, Gray Sargent on guitar, and Clayton Cameron on drums. Up to this album, Bennett worked with the Ralph Sharon Trio; starting with this album, the guitar was added, played by Gray Sargent. Sargent has played with Bennett in studio recordings and live performances ever since. His work on this song is quite lovely.

When You Wish Upon A Star

Listen to When You Wish Upon A Star on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1998.

“When You Wish Upon A Star,” as well as The Playground is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Stella By Starlight

The song of the day for Sunday, March 7, 2021, is “Stella By Starlight.”

About This Song

“Stella By Starlight” was composed by Victor Young for the film The Uninvited. Ned Washington’s lyrics were added in 1946. The song was recorded in 1947 by Harry James and Frank Sinatra; it has been frequently recorded ever since. It found its way as a jazz standard in the early 1950s, with recordings by Stan Getz, Bud Powell, and Stan Kenton. It ranks as the 10th most important jazz title at jazzstandards.com.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Stella By Starlight” for his 1961 album My Heart Sings. The arrangement was written by Ralph Burns.

Stella By Starlight

Listen to Stella By Starlight on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1961.

“Stella By Starlight,” as well as My Heart Sings, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: My Foolish Heart

The song of the day for Monday, August 17, 2020, is “My Foolish Heart.”

About This Week

Every one of the songs that Bill Evans and Tony Bennett recorded is wonderful. For the rest of the week and in honor of the birthday of Evans, I’ll be featuring more songs that they recorded.

About This Song

“My Foolish Heart” was written in 1949 by Victor Young and Ned Washington for a widely-panned film of the same name, based on a J.D. Salinger short story. Time Magazine excoriated the score: “nothing offsets the blight of such tear-splashed excesses as the bloop-bleep-bloop of a sentimental ballad on the soundtrack.”

About This Version

Bill Evans and Tony Bennett recorded “My Foolish Heart” in 1975 for The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album.

“My Foolish Heart,” as well as The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Stella By Starlight

The song of the day for Tuesday, August 11,2020, is “Stella By Starlight.”

About This Song

“Stella By Starlight” was written in 1944 by Victor Young; the lyrics by Ned Washington were added in 1946. This song was introduced in the 1944 film The Uninvited. The song was recorded in 1947 by Harry James and Frank Sinatra; it has been frequently recorded ever since. It found its way as a jazz standard in the early 1950s, with recordings by Stan Getz, Bud Powell, and Stan Kenton. It ranks as the 10th most important jazz title at jazzstandards.com.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Stella By Starlight” in 1961 for the album My Heart Sings. Ralph Burns arranged and conducted this song, as well as the entire album.

“Stella By Starlight,” as well as My Heart Sings, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: On Green Dolphin Street

The song of the day for Tuesday, May 26, 2020, is “On Green Dolphin Street.”

About This Song

“On Green Dolphin Street” was written in 1947 by Bronislaw Kaper, with lyrics by Ned Washington, for the film Green Dolphin Street, starring Lana Turner. While the song was not widely hailed at the time, it soon became popular with jazz musicians and has become a jazz standard (ranking #25 on jazzstandards.com), especially after the Miles Davis’ 1958 recording.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “On Green Dolphin Street” in 1964 with the Ralph Sharon Trio for the album When Lights Are Low. The Ralph Sharon Trio consisted of Sharon on piano, Hal Gaylord on bass, and Billy Exiner on drums.

“On Green Dolphin Street,” as well as When Lights Are Low, is available from iTunes.

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